Air conditioning apparatus



1939. "r. A. MILHOLLAND 3 AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed March 25,1938 3 sheets sheet 1 7151x0514. M'ZlwZZa/nd Oct. 10, 1939.

T. A. MILHOLLAND 2,175,536 AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed March 25,1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 wm M sHfamqus Oct. 10, 1939. T. A. MILHOLLAND2,175,536

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed March 25, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 E1113 5illfi i @1: A: T r @1": i

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In vemor J'eara-s A. Mziliwllana? .4 ffnrneus Patented Oct. 10, 1939UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

I 'My invention relates to improvements in airconditioning apparatus foruse more especially in stores and-small dwellings.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simplified form ofair-conditioning apparatus whereby air can be cooled in hot weather andheated in cold weather.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thecharacter indicated whereinair can be treated so asto raise or lower thetemperature and can concurrently be conditioned for distribution.

During the course of the following specification, other importantobjects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to thereader. In the drawings accompanying and forming part of thisspecification:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of my improved apparatus,

Figure 2 is a view 'in side elevation looking at the right-hand side ofthe apparatus,

Figure 3 is a bottomplan view,

Figure 4 is a View in rear elevation,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the air-conditioning unitdetached from the cabinet and looking at the right-hand side of saidunit,

Figure 6 is a view of said air-conditioning unit detached and shownpartly in front elevation and partly in longitudinal section,

Figure 7 is a view in transverse section of the air-conditioning unittaken on the line 1-! of Figure 6 and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, the apparatus of my inventioncomprises a substantially rectangular cabinet A opened at its back andat the bottom thereof and in which is suitably mounted the basestructure, or bottom, 6. Suitably secured in the upper part of thecabinet A and spaced above the structure 6 is an air-conditioning unitdesignated, as a whole, by the numeral 1 and shown detached in Figures5, 6 and '7. The air-conditioning unit 1 comprises an outer shell havinga dome-shaped top 9 and the bottom wall II]. On the inside of theairconditioning unit I is the secondary wall I I which rises from thebottom wall l0 and curves inwardly as at l2 to terminate in thebackwardly disposed bafile plates l3 spacedapart upon op- 50 positesides of the longitudinal center of a chamber formed by said wall II andthe ends and. bottom 10 of the shell 8. As will hereinafter more.clearly appear, the chamber 26 thus formed constitutes a coil chamberand said baffle plates l3 define an air outlet therebetween at the topof said chamber. Extending from a point in closely spaced relation tothe bottom l0 and between one side wall of the shell 8 and its opposedwall H is the partition l4 which extends vertically on one side of theshell across under the top 9 and down between the outer side wall ofshell 8 and the secondary wall II to terminate in closely spacedrelation to the bottom I 0. This continuous partition M, for apurposepresently explained, is provided Withsmall openings IS in theuppermost portion thereof and underlying vents IS in the top 9. Thevents I6 terminate within the expansion tubes ll, which expansion tubesextend upwardly from the top 9 through a box structure l8 mounted on thetop 9 and into which fresh air ducts I9 open. The expansion tubes I! areprovided with openings 20 communicating the vents'l6' with the box l8.

' As will presently more clearly appear, the partition 14 forms togetherwith the said wall II, a pair of inner passageways 2l in the shell 8extending from opposite sides'of the opening defined by the battleplates l3 upon opposite sides of the coil chamber 26 to the bottom wallIt], and further forms, together with the side Walls of shell '8 and top9 thereof, a pair of outer passageways 22 in said shell leading upwardlyfrom the bottom [0 of the shell upon opposite sides of said chamber 26and to the yents l6 and communieating at the lower ends thereof with thepassageways 2|. As will also presently appear, the secondary wall llfunctions as a baffle for condensation which drains down the inner facethereof to the bottom of the chamber 26 and out of the latter by way ofopenings ll provided in the lower end of said wall I l and leading intotroughs 8' formed in the bottom l0 between the side walls of the shell 8and said secondary .wall I I.

. Mounted upon the base 6 is the electric motor 23 which drives asuction fan in the housing 24 for drawing air into the ducts 25 andforcing the same upwardly into the chamber 26 where the two coil units21, 28'are located. 'Outlet and inlet pipes 29, 30 are'connected withthese coils for thepurpose of supplying hot water or cold water theretoand also for the purpose of supplying Water tothe perforated pipes 31,3|, which are located immediately adjacent the battle plates iii. Thehousing 24 is designed to contain a filter, not shown.

It is desired that the humidity and temperature control unit referred toby numeral 32 on one side of the machine (see Fig. 1) be employed forcontrolling the watersupply to the perforated pipes 3|, 3|, forhumidifying the air. For this purpose a magnetic valve 38 is interposedin the line of connection between the perforated pipes 3|, 3| and theoutlet pipe 29 which is operated in any suitable manner under control ofthe unit 32 to vary the supply to said pipes 3|, 3|. Any condensationaccumulating in the troughs 8 is collected by the drain pipes 33, 34 anddischarged into the container 35 which is located below said pipes On aspring-supported plate 36 on one side of the machine urged upwardly toposition the mouth of the container 35 against a cook 35 on the pipe 34.

The bottom of the apparatus is provided with a mesh air inlet 31 asshown in Figure 3. The numeral 39 designates a motorcontrolling switch.

Referring to the operation of the described apparatus, when used as acooling apparatus, the outside air is drawn into the housing 24 by thefan therein, not shown, and forced upwardly through the ducts 25 intothe coil chamber 26, such air being cleaned by the filter, not shown, insaid housing 24. The temperature in the coil chamber 26 is lowered bymeans of cold water circulated through the coils 21, 28 by way of theinlet and outlet pipes 39 and 29, below the dew point and blown againstthe secondary wall I and out of the chamber between the bafiie plates |3against the partition I4. Because of the fact that the temperature ofthe air is lowered to the point indicated, moisture therein condensesboth on the secondary wall II and partition |4 so that these elementsfunction as de-humidifying baffies by removing the moisture from theair. The condensation on the inner face of the wall II, that is to say,in the chamber 26, drains out by way of the apertures into the troughs8' and that on the partition l4 drains down the same into said troughs,the accumulation in said troughs being carried off by the pipes 33 and34'. In this described de-humidifying process, the heat abstracted fromthe air is carried off with the condensation, the air further cleaned,and harmful vapors carried away. By enclosing the coil chamber 26,substantially, by the partition M, the air is pocketed around saidchamber 26 whereby, and due to its low temperature, such air is furthercooled quickly by the coils 21 and 28. The thus cooled and cleaned airis now blown downwardly out of the passageways 2| and'upwardly by way ofthe passageways 22 into the expansion tubes IT by way .of vents l6. Inthis connection, the openings IS in the partition I4 are verticallyaligned with the axes of the tubes l1, and the air issuing therefrom,under pressure, enters said tubes and increases the velocity of theaggregate air passing through said tubes. Due to expansion of the air insaid tubes I1, and such increased velocity thereof, a partial vacuum iscreated in said tubes I! thereby drawing into the tubes outside air fromthe box structure l8 and by way of the openings 20, such outside airbeing mixed with the air in said tubes H and blown therewith out of saidtubes into the atmosphere. In this mixing process said outside air iscooled by the processed air entering said tubes I! from the passageways22. The quantity of outside air admitted to said tubes I1 is controlledprimarily by the size of the openings 20.

By the above described process, a room may be cooled to the desiredtemperature without cooling all the air in the room in the apparatus.The air pressure in the apparatus may be controlled by the speed of thefan.

When using as a heating apparatus, hot water, or steam, under pressure,is circulated through the coils 21 and 28 by way of the inlet pipe 30and outlet pipe 297 Otherwise the operations are as above explained forcleaning and purifying the air blown through the apparatus.

The perforated pipes 3|, 3| function as humidifiers or de-hurnidifiers,as the case may require. When cooling, cold water is introduced intosaid pipes 3|, 3| from the outlet pipe 29 to be sprayed therefrom asdesired. When heating, hot water, or steam, is similarly introduced intosaid pipes 3|, 3| and sprayed therefrom. The density of the spray iscontrolled by operation of the beforementioned magnetic valve 38 undercontrol of the unit 32.

While the foregoing sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is tobe understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials,may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the claimed as new is:

1. Air conditioning apparatus including a substantially rectangularshell comprising a bottom, outer and inner side walls arising from saidbottom in spaced apart parallel relation, and outer and inner top wallsspaced similarly to the side invention, what is walls, the inner topwall having a longitudinally extending central outlet therein andforming together with the inner side walls and said bottom an aircleaning chamber, an air inlet duct secured to said bottom and openinginto said chamber,

a blower fan in the line of said duct for introfrom opposite sides ofsaid outlet along opposite sides of the chamber and then upwardly to thetop of said shell, discharge nozzles in the outer top wall spaced alongthe longitudinal center thereof for the escape of treated air from theouter passageway, expansion tubes arising from said nozzles to dischargethe air issuing from the latter into the outside atmosphere and havinginlet ports in the lower ends thereof, a box-like manifold extendingalong said top wall and through which said expansion tubes extend, and aduct leading into said manifold for introducing outside air into thelatter to be drawn through said port into the expansion tubes for mixingwith the treated air therein and discharge therewith.

2. Air conditioning apparatus including a substantially rectangularshell comprising a bottom, outer and inner side walls arising from saidbottom in spaced apart parallel relation, and outer and inner top wallsspaced similarly to the side walls, the inner top wall having alongitudinally extending central outlet therein and forming togetherwith the inner side walls and said bottom an air cleaning chamber, anair inlet duct secured to said bottom and opening into said chamber, ablower fan in the line of said duct for introducing outside air underpressure into said chamber to discharge out of said outlet, coils insaid chamber for treating the air in the latter, a baflie in said shellintermediate said outer and inner walls and dividing the space betweensaid walls into inner and outer passageways communicating at the bottomof said shell on opposite sides thereof and whereby the treated airdischarged from said outlet is forced downwardly from opposite sides ofsaid outlet along opposite sides of the chamber and then upwardly to thetop of said shell, discharge nozzles in the outer top wall spaced alongthe longitudinal center thereof for the escape of treated air from theout-' er passageway, expansion tubes arising from said nozzles todischarge the air issuing from the latter into the outside atmosphereand having inlet ports in the lower ends thereof, a box-like manifoldextending along said top wall and through which said expansion tubesextend, and a duct leading into said manifold for introducing outsideair into the latter to be drawn through said port into the expansiontubes for mixing with the treated air therein and discharge therewith,and spray pipes extending along each side of the outlet of said treatingchamber for humidifying the air issuing from the latter.

TEXAS A. MILHOLLAND.

